Best Croatia Betting Sites

Croatia is a Balkan country which became independent with the dissolution of Yugoslavia in 1991. Many of the gambling laws in Croatia were based on those of 1964 Yugoslavia, but this practice has changed in recent years. Under current Croatian gambling law, all forms of betting and gambling are licensed and regulated.

However, there are only three authorized Croatia betting sites (namely, Prva Sportska Kladionica, Germania Sport and SuperSport), apart from the state-owned operator Hrvatska Lutrija. This means that Croatian bettors are left with only a handful of choices. Nevertheless, the vast majority of those bettors show their preference towards international betting sites, such as Bet365 and William Hill, due to their greater variety of sports, higher odds and broader betting markets.

Best Betting Sites in Croatia

If it seems hard for you to choose the best betting site Croatia has to offer; we selected the ones that stand out by comparing their odds and betting markets. Also, these bookies offer their services in Croatian, and their payments are facilitated in kuna.

Betting in Croatia - 5 Things to Know

• 1
  The legal gambling age in Croatia is 18
• 2
  Apart from the Croatian Lottery, there are only three other licensed operators
• 3
  The winnings are taxable at the rate of 10%, 15%, 20% and 30%, depending on the winning amount
• 4
  Players can bet on international sites without the fear of legal consequences
• 5
  Winnings deriving from foreign bookmakers are not taxable

General info

⏩Population: 4.076.246

⏩Active Players: 600.000

⏩Currency: Croatian Kuna

⏩Regulated gambling products: Sports betting, horse & dog racing betting, casino, poker, lottery, keno, bingo, scratch cards

⏩Designated authority: Ministry of Finance - Tax Administration

⏩Operator types: Land-based lottery, betting shops & casinos, online casinos and sports betting sites

⏩Status: Regulated

Gambling in Croatia: The Law Framework

Online gambling, as well as online betting to a certain extent, was first legalised in Croatia in 2010 with the Games of Chance Act NN 8/10 – ‘Ordinance on organising remote betting games’. The act was amended on two occasions and finalised with the 2015 Act on Games of Chance, with the approval of the European Commission and the European Union.

The act stipulates that online betting is legal and regulated by the Ministry of Finance, which, in turn, transfers all administrative rights to the state lottery (Hrvatska Lutrija). It is in the state lottery’s prerogative to organise online betting, and any betting site in Croatia that wishes to operate legally needs approval from the Ministry of Finance in order to do so.

This has led to a monopolised market where only 3 other bookies are allowed to operate legally. Those are Hattrick / Prva Sportska Kladionica, SuperSport and Germania Sport. All the aforementioned bookies need to abide by a monthly 5% tax on the total payment sum.

As regards international bookies, they are not eligible for a license since they are not registered in Croatia. Furthermore, plenty of them are included on the government’s blacklist. Despite all the hardships, non-licensed foreign brands do operate in the Croatian market, and no laws or regulations prohibit local players from placing their bets on them.

Essential Information for Players

Accessing your favourite Croatian betting site is completely legal since online betting is fully regulated. Nevertheless, some rules need to be obeyed. First, no person under the age of 18 is allowed to place bets, neither online nor in land-based venues. Furthermore, the winnings generated from betting are subject to tax.

More specifically, winnings up to HRK 10.000 are subject to 10% tax. A 15% tax is imposed on winnings between 10.000 and 30.000 HRK. A 20% tax applies on winnings between 30.000 and 500.000 HRK and a 30% tax applies on winnings above HRK 500.000. It is worth noting that winnings deriving from offshore bookmakers are not taxable since they are not covered by Croatian law.

Which Non .hr Bookmakers Accept Players from Croatia?

Despite the blacklist and all impediments, there are various international bookmakers that still accept Croatian punters. We have highlighted the biggest ones based on their payouts, betting markets and sports offered; plus bonuses and other useful features. The bookies that live up to the expectations are Bet365 and William Hill.

Bet365 Hrvatska

Bet365 Croatia offers 30+ sports, with an average of 100+ betting markets. Its players mostly enjoy betting on the top 5 European football leagues for which Bet365 has a 96% average payout. Croatians can use e-wallets such as Skrill and Neteller to fund their accounts and withdraw winnings.

Get the Best Odds

Play now Bet365

Get the Best Odds

Play now Bet365

William Hill Hrvatska

With William Hill Croatia, players can explore betting markets within 33 different sports and hundreds of competitions. Some fixtures can easily have 150 markets, such as the Premier League football fixtures, where the average payout is close to 95%. Furthermore, all deposits you make with Neteller and Skrill are free of charge on William Hill.

Home of Betting

Play now William Hill

Home of Betting

Play now William Hill

Comparing International Bookies with Local Operators

International bookies have an advantage over local operators when it comes to the number of betting markets for major football leagues, like the Premier League. A match from this league has 150+ markets on William Hill, contrary to the local operator Prva Sportska Kladionica, which has no more than 60.

Furthermore, on Bet365, one can enjoy betting on 36 different sports, while CroBet (the betting site under the Croatian Lottery), offers only 13. As far as the betting odds are concerned, local operators are almost on par with the leading international ones, with the difference being as little as 0.5% on most of the fixtures.

International Betting Sites with Croatian Language and Kuna

Making yourself at home when visiting an international bookie is imperative, and Croatian players are more than welcome at bookmakers like 22Bet that cater to their needs. More specifically, all three of them have websites optimized in Croatian and allow them to use the local currency, kuna (HRK), to make payments.

Therefore, they don’t have to worry about exchange rates or commissions. Moreover, bookies like Bet at Home Hrvatska not only offer a site translated into Hrvatski but also offer full customer support and live chat in the Croatian language.

Bookmakers that Exited the Market

After the government persecuted international bookies in Croatia to protect the local operators, some of those bookies decided to leave the market altogether. One such example is Bwin Hrvatska, which is no longer available in Croatia since 2013, when it pulled out due to its inability to be fully licensed as a company that isn’t originally based in Croatia.

Even though there are no indications that they will return soon, many other big names in the industry, such as Bet365, are still available to Croats.

How to Deposit at Online Bookmakers in Croatia

Several payment methods are quite popular among the bettors from Croatia, both international and local. Licensed bookies such as SuperSport and Prva Sportska Kladionica rely on the local payment system CorvusPay to process players’ payments via credit/debit cards.

When it comes to international bookies, Croatian players can opt for e-wallets such as Neteller, Skrill and Paysafecard in denominations of 50, 100, 200 and 500 HRK. Moreover, Croatians can also fund their accounts and withdraw winnings via bank transfers through local banks like Privredna Banka.

New Sportsbooks in Croatia

The sportsbook market in Croatia is replenished with new sportsbooks regularly especially with ones that are optimized for Croatian bettors. For example, in Betwinner, apart from competitive odds, locals can use the local currency, kuna (HRK), to fund their accounts and can also navigate the site easily as it is available in Croatian.

Another bookie that is worth mentioning is Librabet, which offers 27 different sports plus many generous welcome and reload bonuses.

The Future of Online Betting in Croatia

The future of online betting in Croatia would look much brighter if the government was eager to allow international bookmakers continuous access to the market and finally legalise their services.

Although Croatian players can access them freely and without the fear of legal consequences, the legalisation of international brands would bring much more diversity and better betting options compared to the ones currently offered by the four local operators.

Gambling Regulations in Nearby Countries

⏩ Slovenia: tried to impose its state monopoly on gambling, which is applicable only to the lottery and casinos on land. The best betting sites in Slovenia are accessible without restrictions as the government doesn't pursue bettors who opt for international and unlicensed bookies.

⏩ Montenegro: started offering licenses to its operators in 2011. It managed to legalise land-based gambling,   with 15 local bookmakers obtaining it. However, the Montenegro Betting Sites are largely under-regulated, and many unlicensed international bookies offer their services to locals.

⏩ Bosnia and Herzegovina: legalised gambling in the Srpska region, offering more than 2,500 local bookies. Online, you can find licensed and unlicensed Bosnia and Herzegovina betting sites that are both easily accessible, as no restrictions are applied.